The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
During the assembly of an automobile, it is desirable to provide the automobile body a high quality finish. The quality of the finish improves the marketability of the automobile as well as protects the automobile body from elements.
The paint baking process during automobile assembly is a major energy consuming process in an automotive assembly paint shop. A typical topcoat oven used for paint baking has three major functions: (1) controlling volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions and solvent odors by driving out paint solvents or water; (2) achieving appearance quality where the top coat oven helps paint flow and level during film formation; and (3) providing durability by promoting cross-linking to cure the paint. However, topcoat ovens are large, ranging in size to about 470 feet long, thus increasing manufacturing costs and limiting space in the automotive assembly paint shop. Additionally, operation of a topcoat oven is associated with a high energy consumption rate per year. It is recognized that operation of topcoat ovens are second only to spray booths in the highest consumption of energy at the automobile paint shop. A typical automotive assembly paint shop utilizes two to three topcoat ovens.